73th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 22, 2020 — November 24, 2020)

V0010: How far is far enough and can facial masks suppress the spread of COVID-19?

Authors
  • Ali Khosronejad, Stony Brook University
  • Christian Santoni, Stony Brook Univresity
  • Kevin Flora, Stony Brook University
  • Seokkoo Kang, Hanyang University
  • Fotis Sotiropoulos, Stony Brook University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2020.GFM.V0010

Social distancing guidelines to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus vary considerably, and the effect of mask type on these guidelines has yet to be studied. We report high-fidelity numerical simulations of human coughing to study the transport of various sizes of saliva droplets with and without facial masks. Our results show that, in indoor environments, wearing a mask coupled with existing CDC social distancing guidelines effectively protect others from getting exposed to pathogen-carrying saliva particulates. 

 

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